His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:23).

My wife, Kathy, ran across a news story about a woman from her childhood named Ruth. According to the article, Ruth was hesitant to talk about her sixty years of teaching Sunday school. She told the reporter repeatedly, “You can talk about me when I’m gone.”

Ruth only agreed to the interview on the condition that the story would run after her death. Then, she insisted that everything she had done in her life of influencing generations of children was only possible through the strength and abilities graciously given by God. “The credit was his, not mine,” Ruth said.

Ruth never heard the acclaim of her community for her faithful teaching. But I have confidence that on the day she stood before the Lord in glory, she heard this: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Sixty years of teaching little children is no small feat, but it may have been a greater feat to do it so well and acknowledge the grace of God enabled it.

Because of Ruth’s faithfulness, blessings will reverberate in children’s lives for eternity, and acclaim will echo in the halls of heaven for just as long. But no “well done” will ring louder that the Lord’s blessing on the one who points God’s children to his enabling grace.

The highest honor desired of those claimed by grace is to know God takes joy from the ways we have used his resources to share his heart.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to be faithful in the duties you give by depending on the grace you offer so that I may someday hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” May your grace make your approval my joy.